Power-transmission mechanism.



E. A. HALBL'EIB.

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1913. 1 105,904, Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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EDW'AR-D A. HALBLEIB, OF- ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NORTH EASTELECTRIC COMPANY, 'OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed May 28, 1913.

sion mechanism wherein two rotary elements or shafts are connected insuch a manner that. eitherone of them may actuate the other in the samedirection of rotation, the connections being so arranged as to producedifferent speed-ratios between the elements, according as one or theother is acting as the driving element.

In an application relating to mechanism of the type in question, filedby me in the United States Patent Oflice January 2 1-, 1912, Serial No.673,271, I have disclosed a mechanism in which automatic onedirectionclutches are employed to throw speed-reducing gearing into or out ofoperation, according as the secondary rotary element or the primaryrotary element constitutes the driver. In'such an arrangement theonedirection clutches act, incidentally, to oppose or lock the gearingagainst reverse rotation on the part of the primary rotary element. herethe mechanism is employed to connect an internal-combustion engine withan electric generator, for the purpose of generating electricity duringthe normal operation of the engine, and to permit the generator, on theother hand, to provide power for starting the engine, thislookingaction, while having no effect upon the normal operation of theapparatus, is objectionable in the case of a back-kick or any tendencyon the part of the engine to rotate reversely, such as frequently occursin the use of apparatus of the kind in question.

The object of the present invention is to produce a construction inwhich the locking action of the mechanism just described may be avoided,and in which -means'are prorided whereby the pinion above referred tomay be thrown out of rotative connection with the second rotary elementwhen the Specification of Letters Patent.

POWER-TRANSMISSION MECHANISM,

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.. Serial No. 71 0,5 14.

first rotary element is acting as" the driver, thus permitting thegearing to come to rest at this time, or to rotate only so fast as mayresult from the slight friction in the clutches and in thebearing-surfaces between the pinion and the second rotary element.

To the foregoing end the invention consists in the'constru'ction andarrai'igement of parts hereinafter described, as they are defined in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a vertical sect-ion ofpower-transmission mechanism embodying the present invention, on a planecoincident with the axes of rotation of the several parts of themechanism; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line .2-2 in Fig. 1,looking from right to left in the latter figure, and Fig. 3 is aperspective View of the third rotary element peculiar to the presentconstruction.

The present invention is illustrated as embodied in a mechanism which,in general arrangement and operation, is similar tothe mechanism of mysaid. application, Serial No. 673,271. The first rotary element, whichis adapted to be connected with the engine, is in the form of a shortshaft 5, which is mounted in ball-bearings 6 in a casing T. The secondrotary element is also a short shaft 8, which is supported, near itsright-hand end, by a ball-bearing 9 in the casing 7. This shaft isadapted to be connected with the armature-shaft of an electricgenerator, of which only a portion of the casing 10 is illustrated, thegeneratorcasing being rigidly connected with the easing 7 by means of amember 11 integral with the latter. The left-hand end of the shaft 8comprises a. reduced portion 15 which is journaled in a. recess in theshaft. 5, the two shafts being thus held securely in coaxial alineinent,while free to rotate independently when necessary. The right-hand end ofthe shaft 5 is expanded to form a shell 12, of which the smooth innersurface constitutes the outer member of a one-direction clutch,

the inner member of which is provided by an integral enlargement 1-l onthe shaft The part 1-1: is formed with recesses, shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2, and rollers 13,

located in these recesses, connect the clutchmembers so that theyoperate in the well known manner of roller-wedge frictionelutch, therecesses being so inclined. at the bottom that when the shaft and theshell 12 are rotated in the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 2,which is the normal direction of operation of the mechanism, the rollersare pinched between the two clutchmembers, and the first rotary elementor shaft 5 drives'the second rotary element or shaft 8 directly, thatis, without change of speed. 13, a spring-pressed follower 16 isintroduced between each roller and the end of the recess in which. itoperates.

The gearing through which the second rotary element may actuate thefirst rotary ele-- ment at a reduced speed-ratio comprises a pinion17,1nounted upon the shaft 8 and meshing with a gear 18, which isjournaled loosely upon a countershaft 19 fixed in the casing 7. secondpinion 20 which meshes, in turn, with a gear 21. The gear 21 is annularin form, and its smooth inner surface constitutes a clutchmember adaptedtocooperate with a clutch-member formed on the outer surface of theshell 12. This latter-clutch-member is provided with a series ofrecesses, as

shown particularly in Fig. 2, containing rollers 22 which cause theclutch-members to operate in the manner of a roller-wedge onedirectionclutch, the recesses being. so inclined at the bottom to cause therollers to pinch. between the clutch-surfaces when the gear 21 isrotated in the direction indicated by the arrows-in 2, and thus to drivethe shell 12 and the shaft 5 by power derived from the shaftfi throughthe gearing. The rollers 22 and the gear 21 are re tained in operativeposition snap-rings 2a seated in grooves in the gear, and the rollers 22are held up their work by sprung-pressed followers 23, as shown in Fig";22.

. L The means for unlocking the mechanism against reverse rotation ofthe first rotary element or shaft 5 comprises a part which is shownparticularly in. Fig. 2, and which is hereinafter described as the thirdrotary element. This part has an annnlar'body 25 which is journaledloosely upon the shaft 8.

integral with this body are three lingers 26,-

which project into the recesses in the clutchmember 1 1. in advance ofthe friction-rollers 13. Upon the right-hand sin-face of the body 25 areintegral clutch-teeth 27, adapted to cooperate with correspondinglyformed teeth 28 formed on the left-hand extremity of the pinion 17. Thethird rotary element v is held against longitudinal movement on theshaft 8 by means of a snap-r1ng e27 seated in a groove in the shell 12,as shown in Fig.

To insure the action of the rollers The gear 18 is integral with a theslotted end of an arm 31.

1, and the fingers 26 are of such width that they may have a certainmovement or lost motion, within the recesses in the clutchnieinber 1when the rollers 13 are in operative engagement between theclutch-surfaces.

When the clutclrteeth 27 and 28 are in engageinent'the pinion 17 and thethird rotary element act as one part, and control. the operation of theclutch-rollers 13. Thus, when the generator is beingemployed a motor, tostart the engine by rotating the shaft 5 through. the speed-reducinggearing, the retation of the shaft 8 causes the rollers 18 to be pressedagainst the fingers 26, thus rotating the third rotary element and. thepins ion 17, and driving the shaft 5 through the gearing and the outeronedirection clutch. Under these circumstances, upon the occur rence ofa back-hick in the engine, and a re-' verse rotation in the shaft 5, thedirection of operation of the gearing is reversed, and the pinion 17 isrotated in a reverse direction faster than the shaft 5 and the shell 6.Since this reverse rotatiom is transmitted to the shaft 8 through thefingers 26, which press the rollers 13 to the deeper ends of their recesses, the rollers are held outof operative engagement with the innerclutch-surfaces on the shell 12, so that the inner clutch cannot preventsuch reverse rotation on the part of the shaft 8, and the mechanism isthus unlocked against reverse rotation.

When the shaft 5 constitutes the driver, during the normal operation ofthe engine,

the pinion 17 maybe shifted in a right-hand with the operation of theclutch-rollers"in,

as they may be moved freely out of the way of these rollers within therecesses in the clutch-member 14k. At the same timethere is no positiveeonnection'between the pinion 17 and the shaft 8, so that the pinion andthe other parts of the gearlng are not rotated A positively during thisnormal operation of the mechanism.

To shift the pinion 17 for the purpose just described it is illustrated.as provided with an annular flange 29, which is embraced by This arm isfined on a rod 32, which is mounted in the casing parallel with the axesof the shafts and 8, and is free to slide in the direction of itslength. A. compression-spring 33, surrounding the rod 32 and interposedbetween the casing-wall. and the arm 31, tends.con-

stantly to move the parts in thedireetion to engage the clutch-membersupon the pinion and the third rotary element. To move the parts in theopposite direction, an arm 3% engages the end of the arm 81, and thisarm 34: is fixed on the lower end of a vertical shaft 85. The shaft 35may be rotated manually in any convenient manner, so as to swing the arm3&- in a directlon to cause it to press the arm 31 to the right, andthus move the pinion 17, against theopposition of the spring 33, todisengage the pinion from'connection with the third rotary element.

Although the arrangements above described operate to unlock themechanism against reverse rotation in the shaft 5, it will be ap parentthat when such reverse rotation occurs while the shaft 8 and thegenerator armature are rotating rapidly in the normal direction, asudden reversal in the direction of rotation of these parts, such as thegearing tends to produce, may subject the mechanism to a severe strain.To avoid such strain I preferably employ a yielding conncction ortriction' coupling at some point in the, mechanism, and I hareillustrated such a yielding connection as interposed between the shaft 8and the armatureshait of the generator. this end the shall; squared partupon which is mounted a eoupllug-member 3'? having a conical innersurface. A second coupling-rneniber with spending triction-surlace isseated in the member and is forced into frictional men irewith by acompression- $9, ii is coiled around tl sha t b and is seated, at oneend, against a nut l0 the shaft. The coupling-memed, in any suitablemanner, in shatt of the generator, and pose i have illustrated ouplingand 42, which may have the i the well-known Oldham coupling, io cin'iensate for slight inaccuracies in the of the shafts. its couplingsot well known, I have i )t parillu irated or described tlie "torm i-iand i9, but it will be underno member may be att; ched in mi manner tothe is;wer-transmission mechanism having, in roiubination, a firstrotary element; a second rotary element; a one-direction clutch forconnecting said elements, whereby the first ement may actuate the secondelement; a thu rotar clement coaxial with the second elemei and normallyrotative therewith, but at 'ted for a limited rotation re ativclythereto; gearing through wnich the second elen'ient may actuate thefirst element, said gearing including a. drivingpinion co-axial with thefirst element but tatable relatively thereto; a second clutch. forconnecting said pinion with the third rotary element, and connections,between the third element and the first-mentioned clutch, whereby theclutch may be thrown out of operation, inconsequence of relativerotation of the second and third elements, when the first element andthe gearing are reversely rotated, said connections being also adaptedto afford a driving-connection whereby the second element may actuatethe third element and drive the first element ments, whereby the firstelement may actuate the second elementin the normal direction ofoperation, while the second element may overrun the first element insaid direction; a third rotary element, iournaled upon the second rotaryelement and provided with lingers adapted to engage the rollers of saidclutch and to throw them into inoperative position in eonsexpience ofrelative rotation between the third and second elements, the thirdelement being provided also witl a clutch-member; gearing through whichthe second el ment may actuate the first element, at reduced speed, inthe normal direction of rotation, said gearing including adriving-pinion journaled upon the second element and provided with aclutch-member adapted to cooperate with the clutch-member on the thirdelement; and means for shitting the pinion upon the second element, todisengage it from operative connection, through said clutch-members,with the third element when. the first element drives the second elementthrough the roller-wedge clutch.

Power-tr nsmission mechanism having, in combination, a first rotaryelement; a second rotary element coaxial therewith; a roller-wedgeclutch, connecting said elen'ients, whereby the first element mayactusecond. element in the normal direction oi. operation, while thesecond element may overrun the first element in said direction a thirdrotary element iournaled upon the second rotary element and providedwith fingers adapted to engage the rollers of said clutch and to throwthem into inoperative position in. conseipience of relative rotationtween the third and second elements, the Third clement being providedalso with a clulch-meiuber; gearing through which the second element mavactuate the first element, at a reduced speed, in the normal directionof rotation, said gearing including a drivingion upon the secondelement, to disengage to overrun the gearing in the normal direcit fromoperative connection. with the third. tion of rotation. element when thefirst elementdrlves the EDTWARD A HALBLEKB. second element through theroller-Wedge I 5 clutch; and a second roller-Wedge KlhltCil Witnesses:

connecting said gearing with the first ele- FARNUM F. DoneEY, ment andadapted toperrnit the first element DH. GURNEE.

